Choleraic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌkɒl.əˈɹeɪ.ɪk/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to a severe infectious disease affecting the intestines, it is characterized by intense diarrhea and significant dehydration
2. Related to an acute intestinal infection that leads to profuse watery stools and can result in extreme fluid loss
3. A condition associated with a bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and thirst due to significant fluid depletion

Etymology: "Choleraic" is a plain formation: the noun "cholera" with the adjectival suffix "-ic" attached, giving the sense "of or relating to cholera." Its more interesting relative is "choleric," which shares the same ancient ancestry but took a very different path. Both descend from Greek "kholera," meaning bile, a word rooted in the old medical theory that the body was governed by four humours, with an excess of yellow bile making a person irritable and quick to anger. "Choleric" kept that temperamental sense and entered English in that form, so the two words are doublets, separated by centuries of use. The disease name took a different route. Cholera, in the sense of the severe intestinal illness, is a later extension, and the Greek sense of bile was carried over to describe the vomiting and purging of bile that marked the disease. Because of this, "choleraic" and "choleric" look nearly identical yet describe a feverish gut complaint in one case and a bad temper in the other.